world's supply of rare earths is eontrolled by China, and
most of rhe resources are in Chinese te rrirory. In Janu-
a ry 2010 , China even began ta lking about restricting irs
exports of rare earths a nd building up reserves, as rhe
country's own economy w ill need these metals to sup-
port further growrh. This straregy is pllrting pressure o n
the makers of green technologies around t he world.
Same com panies are a lready planning TO move their
production ro China in o rd er ro gain cheaper and bet-
ter accessibilirv ro rare earths. O rhers are simply ignor-
ing the problem and a re willing to accept higher prices
in rh e furure, says Professor Armin Reller, khai.r of solid-
sm[e chemistry ar t he University af Augsburg. He has
speilt years studying rh e effeet of lifestyles o n resources,
including rare ea rths. "Bur scarcity and geopoliricalis:
iUtS. mighr reducc accessibiliry a nd supply," he warned,
"in wh ich case, you may be read y tO pay more, but you
will not get th em."
American Jack Lifton, an inde pendent consulta nt
and specialisr in rare earths, has also been raisinc red
~. He feels that China's prices are " prcdatory" 111
acher wo rds, far too low. The prices are not determined •
4/2010
Seeking rare earths:
more common than cold,
but hard to exttllCtWhich does what?
The rare earth elements consist cf 15 so-called lantbanjdes,
plus scandium and yttrium.
Atomic
Number Symbol Name Some uses
57 LA lilIclllillcum fightlnj in 111m productlon
58 Ce WllIIII cigarette fighters, magnets- p, praseodymium alrplane englnes, cigarene
hghters
60 Nd ce:Qdxmium CD players. l asers
61 Pm promethium light source, flUclear batterles
62 Sm samartum nuclear reactors, optical glass
63
"
europium TVs, IlIm[l:~e:clliillll~
64 Gd gadolinium microwave ovens, computers
65 Tb terbium fluorescent lights,
s:mi'!1Ddu'I!2[~
66 0, dysprosium computers
67 Ho holmium magnets, lewelry
68
"erbium medlcal lasers, fjber onll!;;s- Tm thulium medlcal lasers
70 Yb ytterbium to strengthen certaln types of
steel
71 L, lutetium to date the age 01 meteorites
also:
21 S, scandium sportlng equlpment , guns - Y yttnum TVs. sPirk nluilS